Bumble Bar Surprise!

I ran some errands, went to the gym and grocery shopped a little... and came home to this

The Amazing People at BumbleBar ( Click here to Visit There Site ) sent me a package!!!!!!

I was so excited to try ONE of these Bumblebars because

• The Bumble Bar is gluten-free, wheat free, dairy free, and ceritified organic AND rich in flax seeds! I have whole flaxseed, ground flaxseed, Flaxseed butter and oatmeal with flaxseed in it, and Uncle Sam Cereal with flaxseeds. Yet, I haven't yet tried a bar with a good source of flaxseed until now!
  
• Check out this older post, http://runlmo1.blogspot.com/2008/11/nuts-lna-and-cla.html for more healthy fat info about nuts and Flaxseeds!
  
• Here is some info from their site"Flaxseeds contain an abundance of life-enhancing Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). Omega 3 EFAs maintain healthy cell structure and help protect against heart disease, cancer, arthritis and more. EFAs are thought to bolster your energy, improve hormone regulation, improve immunity and reduce stress. Flax seeds also represent one of the best dietary sources of lignans, a class of phytoestrogens that nutritionists say protect against breast, colon and prostate cancers."

I thought they would send me one or two.... THEY SENT 12 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Pam and Glenn and everyone at Bumble Bar!

There are all 12 and Jack! They range in calories from about 180-230 , have about 8-11 g Fat ( Healthy Fat!!), have about 5-7 g protein and 4 g of filling Fiber.

A good option for vegan, organic snack. I tried my first one ( Jack was SOO intrigued, I gave him the first little bite)

Review: Cherry Chocolate.

I enjoyed it because you could SEE the flaxseeds AND the cherries. It TASTED like what "healthiness" should in a very refreshing way. Larabars are a very similar comparison but they are different. Bumblebars are made with sesame seed, and I could taste it very much so. I am not a fan of sesame seed, but I did like the thin and wide shape of Bumblebar, it takes you longer to eat this ( which I liked). I hate eating a tiny skinny bar that has 200 + calories and leaves you feeling like you hadn't had anything at all.

I also enjoyed this bar because I have studied just how healthy flax seeds are and would choose a bumble bar to get in some CLA, Fiber, and Omega-3's. I am not certain if everyone would enjoy this particular flavor though (the others all sound fantastic). Jack loved it but he's not a fair judge). I CANNOT WAIT to try the lemon, oh and the chai, or the cashew, and the original flavor that started it all too!

Here was my lunch: Leftover Pasta Bake and A slice of Turkey and.. A chocolate window!

Taste Test: Chocolate Windows vs. Neiman Marcus

I mentioned on Sunday that I baked some cookies and in the essence of Christmas, I wanted to give some away. I decided that since I do not have “coworkers” to test them, and my parents live 3 hours away, I would have Jeff send them in to work for his team to Taste Test for me. I thought it would also be a cool feature of the blog to do every now and then.

I sent in 3 types that I modified from their original recipes, which reduced all of their saturated fat contents and also reduced the sugar a little without adding artificial anything.
1. Nana’s Chocolate Windows (Recipes Below Taste Test Results)

2a.Neiman Marcus $250 Cookies (Recipe at the bottom of this post)

2b. Same as Neiman Marcus only I added in mini Reese Pieces

Taste Test Results from Four Engineers’

Emily :

"First off, Andy and I THANK YOU for the tasty treats. Here’s our feedback on the deliciocity of these cookies:

1. This is Andy’s favorite. Only comment was that it leaves too much chocolatey-goodness on my hands when I’m done eating
2a.delicious balance of oatmeal and chocolate – not too sweet, but still a nice treat after dinner
2b. Nice improvement on the Neiman Marcus cookie. Just a small bit sweeter, perfect for afternoon tea .

Sign me up for more tastings in the future!
All the best,

Justin:

Chocolate Windows: I usually do not like peanut butter in a cookie but I did like these. The peanut butter flavor was not overpowering. The cookies were very soft but not messy.

a. Neiman Marcus Cookies: Chocolate chip is my favorite cookie so I liked those cookies the most. However they did not have nearly as much chips compared to 2b.

b. Added Reese’s Pieces: This cookie came in third for me only because of the peanut butter factor, but I liked them because they had a high quantity of chips and Reese’s Pieces

Woody:
Thank you for the cookies! I am not a dark chocolate or marshmallow person. I did try the Windows and they weren't bad, but not my cup of tea. The Neiman Marcus cookies were good! They were just the right moisture so they didn't crumble, but they weren't doughy either. Good blend of flavor and no one taste over powered the rest. Just the right amount of chocolate chips in them as well.

Jason Christ ( you pronounce it like "wrist"...but we like to refer to him as Christ as in Jebus Christ)

The Clog: That’s short for cookie blog.

Chocolate chip one (Neiman Marcus?) was great. Thick cookies like that can get crunchy because it takes longer to bake them but it was soft and chewy. And extra chewy because of the oatmeal. I like the small bits of oatmeal instead of the big flakes of oats. Those are probably awesome when they are warm out of the oven.

The chocolate door was a good blend of crispy to cut the sweetness and strength of all the chocolate so it’s more of a cookie than a piece of candy. I’ve had those made with golden grahams instead of rice krispies and I think these are better.

My only suggestions would be just like maybe a whole garbage-bag-full of them just for me

Thank You Everyone!! I thought this was fun so I am sure I will do another one sometime in the near future! Here are all the recipes, original and healthier!


Original Recipe CHOCOLATE Windows
12 oz. Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine
Melt ingredients in double boiler. Remove from heat & let cool
slightly.

Mix In:
2 Cups Miniature Marshmallows
2 Cups Rice Krispies
Put in a greased 8" x8" pan. Place in refrigerator. Once set, cut
into squares.

Healthier Recipe CHOCOLATE Windows
12 oz. Chocolate Chips ( I used milk chocolate and semi-sweet)
1 Cup Smucker's All Natural Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Smart Balance 50/50

Melt ingredients in double boiler. Remove from heat & let cool
slightly.

Mix In:
2 Cups Miniature Marshmallows (I used more cuz I like em!)
2 Cups Rice Krispies
Put in a 8" x8" pan. Place in refrigerator. Once set, cut
into squares.

The important changes I made were using a peanut butter that has no Trans Fat, and cutting out butter/margarine with Smart Balance also cuts out Trans Fat- which could also be called "man-made Fat poison". Essentially, the manufactures of products that have Trans Fat take healthy, unsaturated fat ( which molecularly has a kink(s) in its form- creates easier fluidity through your body) then they partially hydrogenate it so that it can last longer on the shelf ( this takes the kink out of the molecule making it a solid straight fat molecule that builds up in your arteries ).
I did something similar with the Neiman Marcus' as well.

"Neiman Marcus Cookies"

Jeff's mom makes these at christmas and they are DELICIOUS! I made changes to the recipe but not too many because I would hate to have a less than stellar comparison.

Out of The Oven

Inside

Original Recipe:

1 cups butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cups granulated sugar
1 cups brown sugar
2.5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
12 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1.5 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 56 cookies

Our Healthier Recipe

3/4 cups Smart Balance 50/50 butter
1 cup Organic Whole Grain White AP Flour
1 cup AP flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2.5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
12 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. bourbon

( to the last half of the batch I added Reese's Pieces Minis - Jeff's fav)

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and liquor. Mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add to creamed mix, then add chocolate chips, Hershey bar. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 56 cookies

Recharged!

http://running.about.com/od/gettingstarted/ss/illness.htm
This was a good 7+ question way to answer whether or not you should go work out if you are potentially "under the weather"

So no run today -I had the sniffles .. I have had the sniffles for the past week+ and I want them to go away! Other reasons (excuses) include I need to get some 7 mile + energy source that I can have on race day and take it with me for my next run... i.e jelly beans or goo or what have you. I think that is a big reason why I seem to stop at 7,8, 9 miles- I feel great but my brain probably stops working since its out of glucose fuel- and or my body needs a boost to keep it going.

I also have nothing appropriate to wear for race day and I need to find some stuff or at least try out what i do have to make sure it won't/will do.


Dinner:
Leftover whole wheat angel hair, sauce and Fake Steak! The fake steak is totally vegetarian. I like the way it is but it is not anywhere near the texture of filet or ribeye....


FUN dessert!
nonfat greek yogurt, mixed in one tablespoon of no pudge brownie mix and 1/4 cup fruit colored marshmallows, a teaspoon of pb, a tablespoon of coconut.... Yum! Yum! Yum!

The reasoning behind this dessert:

Nana make these amazing tasting "chocolate windows"... super easy recipe but not the healthiest ( although not bad- it requires 12 oz. Chocolate Chips, 1 Cup Peanut Butter ( i could use natural) 1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine ( I could do smart balance?) 2 Cups Miniature Marshmallows, 2 Cups Rice Krispies 12 oz. ). So I bought the marshmallows and planned on making these bad boys for christmas or something- since I had to get the whole bag I figured I would try out another recipe...

I did a "B-Healthy" version of ambrosia based from the package recipe:
1/2 banana





1 cup sour cream ( sub 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt_)





1 cup marshmallows (sub 2/3 cup)





coconut ( I used two tablespoons unsweetened)





1 cup orange sections ( didnt have any)





1 cup crushed pineapple ( I just cut up a small apple into tiny chunks)





Mix all together and chill at least 15 minutes.
So I did that minus the orange sections and pineapple... SO YUMMY!











and then realized ...

I had no pudge mix ! And knowing that I totally would eat the whole pan of brownies in two days- I avoid that by making single serving brownies- well- I thought I could do the brownie part with yogurt, then do the add ins part from the ambrosia and make it like Nana's Chocolate Windows B-Healthy style!

Sort of worked out- it was delicious- but not the same... still a great satisfying dessert! but i would not recommend anyone repeat it unless they were prepared for potential dessert-failure. It was fun trying!



So, I rested and prepared ( mentally and physically) today in hopes to get a decent run in tomorrow ( I am keeping my fingers crossed but I realize anything could happen tomorrow morning!) a fake race. It all depends on how my knee feels and how my sniffles feel too!


Body:

Yoga, Strength: Abs, Back, Biceps, Quads (BBQ) .
My triangle poses felt AMAZING today- I can totally tell a difference from even a few weeks ago!

Mind:
Class was phenomenal! 3 great article presentations on native american health and flaxseed reducing cholesterol levels in postmenapausal native american women, african american adolescent obesity intervention in chicago schools, and acculturation of hispanic and latino populations. In addition to this... I took out a book on Food and Culture and found all this great information for MY presentation in three weeks! Woohoo! I seriously LOVE this Minority Health Seminar - I would love to take this class again and do more!

Soul:
prepare yourselves, this is a long one:

If you have been reading my blog you probably know that I worked as an instructor of kids with Autism, and since starting back to school this semester and injuring my knee for marathon training- I had to stop working at the school I taught at . My afternoon student was very dear to me and was doing AMAZING before I left. Well, his mom has since asked me to work with him at home. At first she asked if I could do evening/weekend hours, which aside from my schoolwork time - those hours are not suitable for me because they are my relaxation hours, catch up with Jeff and friends, finish up projects, etc. Plus I am not as good of a teacher during those hours since I would have to go from class 4-6 then try to teach him 6-8- hello DINNER?!?
So... she found a way I could come 2.5 hours in the morning- she was pulling him out of preschool in the mornings because he was not thriving at that school ( the teachers were not 1:1 or even somewhat aware of how to teach jacob). I would get paid through this agency, so his mom could actually supplement that- We all win, right? Not exactly.

The more trainings I have had to do with this agency, the more I realize how much brain energy it takes away from studying nutrition, how much time it takes out of my schedule that I could be doing research projects or shadowing an RD or finding jobs in the field, or focusing on thesis work etc etc etc... the more I also realized how "stupid" this agency is- check the cpr incident yesterday morning...The more I work with Jacob, the worse I feel because I want him to have everything in the world, be so successful that it would be as if he never had a diagnosis at all, and I feel like it all started downhill for him when I left work and he started the new morning school.

So I have gone to his house only a few times, his mom paid me for my time ( a total of 8 hours these past two months) and I didn't accept the money she was going to give me for this past sunday. I think more so because friends don't pay you to hang out with them, and I would be starting with the agency soon enough that her $30 or whatever is more valuable to her than it was to me.

The more I have gone to his house, the more I realize how much it takes out of me to do intensive therapy with him. It is another big thing that will not be a quick 2 hours of mindless work, its difficult and stressful and I take it seriously so I give 110%.

I was feeling like this is not the situation for me to work and this is not where I want to go with my life and how do I get out now that I have started with this agency!?

Well, last night his mom asked me "Will you lie on your timesheet for us?" She wants me to lie so that her case manager, who says even though he is not recquired to be in preschool he cannot have supplemental therapy during those morning hours I can go...only during evening/weekend hours can he have extra therapy.

I don't think I can handle the lying, the plotting, the planning around visits from case managers that I would have to do and not to mention the fact that if.... IF something were to happen and the wrong person found out I lied on my hours, I would be fired for that. That will stay with me for the rest of my entire career. The chance of it happening might be small, but the consequences if anything should happen are FAR to great to mess up my entire life career.

It was as if this greater force was telling me "Wake up! You kept saying this was not going to be good, well here is the final straw- here is your way out!"

Maybe I am reading to much into this... What do you think ?